When passing through Chinatown, Zhou Yi was overjoyed.

In a foreign country, seeing many fellow citizens with yellow skin and dark eyes gave her an indescribable sense of security.

“There are so many Chinese people here!”

“Yes, but don’t go out at night in New York, and avoid quiet places even during the day. I put a safety manual in your bag – it was given to us when we went abroad in February. It should be useful for you.”

Zhou Yi’s expression changed, and Xia Xiaolan added:

“Because I’m very busy with my internship at GMP, I can only tell you the basics of what to watch out for. You’ll be staying in the school dormitory, so we won’t see each other much. After I finish my GMP internship this month and return to Ithaca, it’ll be even harder to meet – it takes five to six hours by bus from New York to Ithaca.”

This was even more unexpected for Zhou Yi.

She thought Xia Xiaolan would guide her throughout her time in America – but from what Xia Xiaolan was saying, she was going to leave her alone in New York to study language?!

Zhou Yi strongly resisted this arrangement but kept quiet, unwilling to show weakness in front of Xia Xiaolan.

Should she beg Xia Xiaolan not to leave?

That would be too embarrassing – she’d rather die than say it!

Xia Xiaolan took Zhou Yi for the entrance test, which included listening, grammar, speaking, and writing sections.

Unsurprisingly, Zhou Yi’s performance was terrible. If there had been a level below 101, the teachers would have placed her there. Since 101 was the lowest level, that’s where Zhou Yi ended up… At her level, it would normally be very difficult to study abroad – she was a blank slate waiting for language school teachers to teach from scratch.

This was why Zhou Wenban wouldn’t let her go abroad on government funding – her level was too poor, and it would be unconscionable to spend state money!

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t trying to mock her, but Zhou Yi was too embarrassed to show her the test paper.

Xia Xiaolan cleared her throat:

“Level 101 is fine too. You can build a solid foundation from the beginning, then apply to a better school later.”

Zhou Yi had no confidence at all.

She no longer held any hope for Zhou Wenban’s prediction of returning in a year and a half.

Could she finish this damned language school in a year?

Could she return home in two and a half years?

Everything was uncertain!

“I understand. Don’t you have to go to work today?”

Xia Xiaolan nodded, “I took half a day off from the firm. If you need more help, I can take another half day.”

Zhou Yi felt completely lost – how would she manage when Xia Xiaolan left her in this strange place?

But she pretended to be understanding, “No need, you’re just an intern at the company, you can’t make your own decisions. Others will surely object if you don’t go to work. Xiaolan, thank you for picking me up yesterday and bringing me to the test today – you should hurry back.”

Zhou Yi was pretending to be understanding, but Xia Xiaolan took it as genuine:

“That’s what I told Uncle – Sister Zhou Yi has strong learning abilities and has always been worldly, what’s there to fear about going abroad? I’ll head to work then. If you feel unwell, remember to call me, and read the safety manual I put in your bag!”

Only call if feeling unwell.

Otherwise, stay by yourself – was that what Xia Xiaolan meant?

Zhou Yi felt the scar from her cesarean section starting to ache. She maintained her face while Xia Xiaolan was present, but felt lost once she left.

Parents as harsh as hers were rare – sending her abroad just over a month after her C-section. In an unfamiliar place, the only person she knew in all of New York was her cousin’s girlfriend Xia Xiaolan… and Xia Xiaolan seemed so busy!

Zhou Yi muttered, “How can she be that busy? She’s just an intern.”

Then she thought, an intern is just an apprentice, so they must obey others’ arrangements.

Xia Xiaolan had been so impressive in China but had to start from scratch in America. Zhou Yi looked around helplessly, wondering when she would reach level 109 or above.

Wait, it was about lunchtime now. The language school teacher had mentioned the cafeteria, and Xia Xiaolan had pointed out the direction – which way was it again?

Zhou Yi wandered around until she was too hungry to bear it. She had to force herself to ask others where the cafeteria was.

She couldn’t speak this phrase properly, only remembering the word “food,” and had to use gestures to find her way.

The cafeteria wasn’t very crowded, but Zhou Yi didn’t know how to order.

Right, she still had her English phrasebook!

Stumbling through the pronunciation from the book, she finally managed to get some food and drinks, sweating profusely from the effort.

…

Xia Xiaolan only called Zhou Wenban after returning to her apartment.

She had been lying to Zhou Yi – while GMP was busy, they could still approve a full day off.

She said that deliberately, not wanting to be Zhou Yi’s babysitter. Zhou Wenban and Jiang Hong had repeatedly emphasized letting Zhou Yi become independent, so Xia Xiaolan naturally complied.

After microwaving something for lunch, Xia Xiaolan waited until the afternoon to call Zhou Wenban – it would still be morning in China, so he should be home before work.

Zhou Wenban and Jiang Hong had been waiting a long time for this call.

When the phone rang, Zhou Wenban answered immediately:

“Hello, is this Xiaolan?”

“Yes, Uncle! I’ve taken Zhou Yi to the language school…”

Xia Xiaolan explained everything, “Leaving her alone at school shouldn’t be a problem. The school is relatively safe, and I’ve spoken with the teachers – they’ll notify me if she doesn’t attend classes regularly. As long as she goes to class, she should be fine.”

This language school was recommended by Xia Xiaolan after checking its reputation among New York international students.

Previously, some self-funded Chinese students had successfully applied to universities after completing their studies there – the language school was quite good.

Zhou Wenban sighed deeply: “Your aunt and I don’t know how to thank you. Don’t let Zhou Yi interfere with your affairs. Let her suffer a bit – then she’ll know life isn’t as simple as she thinks!”

Zhou Wenban didn’t even bother asking what level Zhou Yi tested into.

With her poor level, what level could she possibly get?

The lowest level.

Actually, given the Zhou family’s circumstances, they could have followed the normal route – finding a one-on-one language tutor in China for a few months to build some foundation before coming to America for language school. That would have matched Zhou Wenban’s timeline of applying to university after two or three months… But the longer Zhou Yi stayed, the more anxious Zhou Wenban and Jiang Hong became, wanting to send her abroad quickly to separate her from Yuan Han.

The language school tuition wasn’t as expensive as American universities.

Zhou Wenban and Jiang Hong had budgeted around $10,000 for Zhou Yi’s studies abroad.

This included both language school and future university tuition – they couldn’t provide more. They could gather $20,000 by borrowing from other family members, but Zhou Wenban firmly refused, wanting Zhou Yi to experience hardship.

As for how Zhou Yi would handle the remaining expenses?

If others could wash dishes at Chinese restaurants, so could she!

Zhou Yi didn’t know yet that after spending her $1,000 cash, she would have to earn her living expenses.

While this was commonplace for other self-funded international students, for Miss Zhou… it would probably be quite a shock to her system.